PCGP Episode 28
The long awaited episode 28 is here! Dan Morris returns, but will he be back? You decide. We also cover the history of media corrupting our youth, Lara Croft’s nip slip, extra Oblivion content for sale, Mac gamers officially join the PC gaming community, and our thoughts on Microsoft’s latest aquisition. And, as usual, another batch of listener questions and our playlists.
April 7th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
1st comment
April 7th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
thank you jeremy so much
April 7th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
I guess I was wrong.
April 7th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
YAY! Its back!
April 7th, 2006 at 9:26 pm
The podcast nearly came to a crashing halt when, after an hour of recording, my computer crashed. Luckily I was able to find the hidden temp files Audacity had created (all 600+ of them) and piece the show back together. So, sorry for the added delay, but I think it’s worth it. This is an episode for the ages.
April 7th, 2006 at 9:27 pm
“This is an episode for the ages.”
The one that -almost- got away?
April 7th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Amen. Thank you kind sir for this DELICIOUS treat of the week. All hail Big J.
April 7th, 2006 at 9:31 pm
I wanted to do it again, but this time with feeling
April 7th, 2006 at 9:39 pm
lol… I want to talk to you guys on MSN
April 7th, 2006 at 9:50 pm
DAN MORRIS FTW!!!!!
*No hard feelings, i like all of you guys..but Dan Morris is just too cool!!!@!@!@!@!@#!@#!@#
Hope he stays….
April 7th, 2006 at 10:08 pm
I also hope Dan Morris stays on the podcast. He really brings a lot to the show.
April 7th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
I hope Dan Stays. He has a really good radio voice and personality.
April 7th, 2006 at 11:36 pm
hey…garfield is okay…
April 8th, 2006 at 1:31 am
Awesome podcast… i loved that it was almost an hour… great stuff. Dan was back too so thats nice.
April 8th, 2006 at 2:33 am
“2006 - YEAR OF THE DAN!”
Dan should certainly not die. He shall stay alive. In fact, I will assure his survival by sending him a miniature frozen pizza.
…
*hears whispers*
…
He doesn’t have an oven? Pfft, I ain’t Foodforce.
You’re gonna eat that pizza and you’re gonna like it.
———–
Does anyone on the panel ever play sim games? I WANT MORE!!!
———–
The increased time was awesome. I can’t get enough of PCG Podcast.
April 8th, 2006 at 2:44 am
Hey,Great Podcast.
April 8th, 2006 at 4:06 am
I just did the, “register with blogâ€Â, just to say PLEASE keep Dan on the show. He brings so much to it, PLEASE!
April 8th, 2006 at 4:22 am
58 Mins, Cool!
April 8th, 2006 at 4:57 am
Great podcast once again guys. I personally think you should keep Dan on the show, even if he is working on the financial side of things. It will provide another perspective of gaming, even though it is filled with monetary objectives, but interesting nonetheless.
April 8th, 2006 at 7:07 am
Awesome. Listening now. Also DJ, stay tuned because I have some feedback on your PCGamer Building Bible 2006. As a hardcore fan of the original, I have some very interesting thoughts to express. I’ll post a link here when I actually write my thoughts.
Don’t hold your breath.
Excellent podcast. More to come.
April 8th, 2006 at 8:09 am
OK I’ve listened to this podcast about half way thru - and you know what guys, I’m cancelling my sub - I have no interest in listening to you again. If you don’t understand why Bethesda’s micropayment scheme is going to screw PC gaming, and worse, make PC gaming a world of haves and have nots, I give up! I’m going elsewhere for my gaming podcast
April 8th, 2006 at 8:15 am
Dan Morris ftw. Yeah, I voted to keep him on the show. 94% for keeping him, 6% for letting him die.
Next weeks podcast should be great. Ahh, democracy.
April 8th, 2006 at 8:28 am
KEEP DAN MORRIS!!!
Lets vote! 93% for staying…Dan adds so much to the podcast, as long as we only let him talk about good games nicely
April 8th, 2006 at 8:49 am
Well, since we have to have ads to keep the show free, then bring back Dan Morris cause we want him! _If_ no Dan Morris would meant no ads, I’d still say keep Morris. FTW!
And puppy, how is it going to screw PC gaming? You don’t have to buy it. If you want their extras then buy it. If not look for mods. I mean, they’re still going to make an expansion probably, and probably some of the stuff from these mini things will be added.
Oh, and Sin: Episodes preload is on Steam. Opened the GCF and found 2 intersting models; Dope_Fish (but I’m really sure Dopefish is one word) and another modes (won’t say which) had _nude or _naked was it in the file name. Oh oh. :/
April 8th, 2006 at 11:06 am
How the hell could you guys not have heard of the Oregon Trail!? What is wrong with you people!
April 8th, 2006 at 11:59 am
i agree with kootness, im 13 and that was the first game i ever played on my gold old gateway, it took up a whole floppy disk.
April 8th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
Oregon Trail was my first game I played as well. I can’t believe a couple of the guys never heard of that…..Damn, I guess I’m getting old…..WTF…
April 8th, 2006 at 12:54 pm
Great podcast but you guys didn’t answer my question about fansites. *Cries*
April 8th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
GO DAN!!!!, I’m in the uk, i don’t read the the us pcg but i do read the uk, and i still like you!
April 8th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
“I’d buy that for a dollar! Haaaa!”
God, I love RoboCop.
April 8th, 2006 at 3:12 pm
I have to admit, I’m not a long time reader of PCG or gaming mags in general. I browse through them from time to time but thats about it. I guess I just imagined them written by a bunch of kids from biased perspectives with little objectivity. The PCGamer Podcast REALLY changed that perception! I’m sorry it took so long but that doesn’t diminish the effect the podcast has had on me.
I subscribed to the podcast more for a “quick” way of getting my gaming news. I didn’t expect to receive such articulate, objective and intelligent discussions on both games and gaming topics. The curtain was really pulled back. While I easily confirmed that “youth” was certainly on the side of the writers/editors, I also found first class thinking, articulate discussions, and a love of the gaming genre that went beyond that of a fanboy. I’m embarassed to have stereotyped PCGamer (and other mags) all these years and offer my apologies.
I have come to love the podcast (almost instantly) and the magazine. The quality was there all along if I only took the time to look. But the podcast put actual people behind the articles and that made all the difference. Gaming Mags at the bookstore were all a blur before but now I pick up PCGamer because I feel I know the people who put it together. I’ve come to know there tastes, biases, preferences, and style which makes the magazine come to life. Podcasting gives the illusion of closeness by its nature which is why people become so attached to certain hosts. That is true with me as well and I now look at the magazine as if my “friends” are the ones who put it together. Whether intended or not, creating the podcast was an excellent marketing move. It makes your listeners feel like “insiders”.
My vote has to go in support of Dan remaining with the podcast. It was his hosting that prompted the changes I’ve outlined above. The guy has is articulate and one hell of a host balancing a tight agenda and giving everyone equal air time. Plus, he just has a voice and presence suited for podcasting. But I have to put a plug in for Greg as well. It was the decision to remove gold farming ads from the magazine that really sealed it for me and I went right out and bought a subscription to the magazine.
You guys are one heck of a team and a great face (or voice) for your Magazine. Keep working towards those strengths and I’ll keep listening and reading.
Jadin
P.S. I’m a bit older than most on this forum and don’t know all the ins and outs of internet etiquette so… I just speak from the heart when throwing in my $.02
April 8th, 2006 at 3:20 pm
thanks so much for making my day.
April 8th, 2006 at 5:12 pm
I too wish Dan would remain on the PodCast. But, if HE would be uncomfortable doing the show, then I would understand and would respect his wishes to bow out.
April 8th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
Oh, and guess I’d also like to say I hope everyone else can keep doing the PodCast as well. This is the only PodCast I make an attempt to keep up to date with and I really have enjoyed everyone on the show to date.
April 8th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
Dan Morris lives on!
Seriously fun show. Greg asking wtf Oregon Trail is, completed my life.
April 8th, 2006 at 10:09 pm
dan Morris MUST DIEEEEEEE!
I’m just kidding, actually. Dan Morris must STAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
Oh and PC will always been the edge of creativity. Or at least it should be.
April 8th, 2006 at 10:18 pm
Greg asking “What the #@$! is Oregon Trail?!” is comparable to asking “What the #@$! is Sim City, Duke Nukem 3D, or Warcraft?!”
Dude, know your roots.
I bet you’ve never played Number Munchers either. That and Oregon Trail were basically required computer-related curriculum for my elementary school.
April 8th, 2006 at 11:16 pm
They don’t know Oregon Trail!? WTF mate?
April 9th, 2006 at 2:48 am
“When Chuck Norris plays Oregon Trail his family does not die from cholera or dysentery, but rather roundhouse kicks to the face. He also requires no wagon since he carries the oxen, axels, and buffalo meat on his back. He always makes it to Oregon before you.”
Their up to a freaking 5th edition:
http://www.terragame.com/oregon-trail-5th-edition.html
Oh, and if you’re bringing up the old Apple 2 games, you can’t forget such classics as Number Munchers:
http://www.pcgaming.ws/viewgame.php?game=number_munchers
April 9th, 2006 at 4:09 am
The problem with the horse armor mod is not the concept of a small mod that you pay for, but rather that they’re charging 10% of the cost of an expansion for something with more like 1% of the content of an expansion. After buying 10 similar mods you would have spent the cost of an expansion while getting nowhere near as much content. My fear is that if this catches on, we’ll end up paying more for less content than in the era of full-blown retail expansions.
On the other hand, if the typical mod ends up being good value for money, then this is a good idea, as you only have to buy the ones you want. I’m not that optimistic though, given how much people pay for things like mobile phone ring-tones and other horse-armor-esque trivial cosmetic upgrades.
April 9th, 2006 at 8:59 am
I’m amazed they didn’t know what Oregon Trail was.
April 9th, 2006 at 9:06 am
I worry that Mr. Morris’ ability to remain unbiased is in danger. The whole reason the advertising department doesn’t write the magazine is so that there isn’t a conflict of interest. If you allow the advertising dept. to be involved with the general public you’re placing Mr. Morris in a difficult ethical position. I don’t distrust Mr. Morris but he shouldn’t be on the podcast just like he shouldn’t be writing in the magazine. It’s self protection more than anything else. Being uninvolved removes the question of his integrity and kids, integrity is more important than almost anything else.
Besides, Dan shouldn’t have to change his name back to DJ…
April 9th, 2006 at 9:50 am
why not just sponsor stuff that you guys would actually buy?
April 9th, 2006 at 10:35 am
Teacher = hardest but most points!
April 9th, 2006 at 10:39 am
I just went on the PC Gamer site and, eww is whe I have to say to the cover the newstand guys get. The one that came in the mail looks a lot cooler.
April 9th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
I don’t really see how Dan staying would be a problem. Yes, if he were to be involved in writing for the magazine, it would be an issue. But podcasts are an entirely different medium. You guys are not producing this podcast in a direct attempt to make a profit, which is why you don’t reveal any big news, or anything much about your reviews. The podcast functions as a promotional tool for the magazine, where all the real content lies. This is not to say that you guys are constantly plugging the magazine, because you’re not. It’s obvious that you all enjoy sitting around chatting about games, and keeping gamers up to speed on things.
Since the podcast consists mainly of bantering and Q&A about games, and no solid judgements on anything, there’s really not much opportunity for a conflict of interest to arise. Now, if you were to allow him to write a review for the magazine, that would be very troublesome, because people would believe they were getting an unbiased judgement of a game, when that may not be the case. The magazine is a business. It’s about objective writing and reporting. The podcast is a bunch of guys sitting around a table yapping about random game-related things, and people take it as such. It’s informational, it’s funny, and it’s very entertaining, but I think people are able to make the distinction between it and something more serious, like the magazine.
Finally, like someone said in the podcast, it would quickly become evident to listeners if Dan’s new position began affecting the podcast. You’ve got a loyal following, though, and I don’t think people would just up and desert the podcast because of it. They’d post here on the forums, and you’d get an influx of emails demanding that you get rid of Dan. That’s how gamers work.
April 9th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Are there really different covers for subscribers vs. people who purchase off of the news stand? Does location of subscription make a difference in the cover that I receive? I am a canadian resident. if someone could post a picture of their magazine cover it would be great. Alas, i cannot compare to the cover shown on the website as i have not yet received my magazine yet….it’s like i live on a different planet. maybe i can get it FedEx-ed…….
April 9th, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Oregon Trail ftw.
I think it took me like 15 years to figure out you could move the little guy around when hunting. We thought he was stuck in the middle of the screen.
Firm believer in caulking and floating the wagon across since 1990
http://www.mobygames.com/game/apple2/oregon-trail/cover-art/gameCoverId,37984/
April 9th, 2006 at 7:06 pm
I was surprised to learn Oregon Trail had different professions you could start as depending on the version. I grew up playing the one with the Banker, Carpenter, and Farmer (Apple IIe), versus the other version (Macintosh) had more: Banker, Doctor, Merchant, Blacksmith, Carpenter, Saddlemaker, Farmer, and Teacher.
I feel cheated!
April 9th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
At school we had the Mac version running on the old Mac OSs that suck so much ass it’s not even funny. I don’t see how people even thought those were better than Windows. Those were like worse than 95 and only better than ME.
April 9th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
Jeremy, the thing that has screwed me up in Oblivion is a bugged Cure for Vampirism quest. I’ve tried using console so I got the cure but I don’t think I should use it just yet.
April 9th, 2006 at 8:17 pm
The same thing happened to me, so i consoled the cure into the game and drank it.
Now i want to be a vampire again! I miss night vision and invisability! I miss the red eyes, vangs, skill bonuces. The people running in terror…sigh.
April 9th, 2006 at 8:22 pm
Why did he leave for the Advertising Side anyways.
April 9th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
Keep Dan!!!
April 9th, 2006 at 8:34 pm
Well, I don’t want to be a vampire cause my Breton has a lovely complexion as a normal person. I hope I can get over doing this in the console because it did not feel just but I had to do it. Gah, me and my ethics in a game.
Jeremy, go into your ini file and disable console and then start playing again. DO IT!
April 9th, 2006 at 8:35 pm
Oh and Braindead, just fight a Vampire and let ‘im bite you.
April 9th, 2006 at 9:33 pm
Yep, I just got it from the Pale Lady since she stabbed me with her blade during the fight. I cured it though before I transformed.
April 9th, 2006 at 10:12 pm
I love Greg, he’s a great host; but I was so excited to hear Dan back on the podcast. I was starting to worry that we would never hear from him again.
All in all, one of the best(and funniest) podcasts yet. Keep it up.
-Zabuza-
April 9th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
When Dan (meaning Morris, not DJ) is on the show, can he host? It’s always funny how he messes up the episode number.
April 9th, 2006 at 11:06 pm
Zuljin, I made a mod that fixed the cure for vampirism quest if you wanna get it from FileFront you can find it at:
http://files.filefront.com/ES4_Cure_for_Vampirism_fix/;4941516;;/fileinfo.html
On a side note, if anybody wants to wipe their ass with Jack Thompson you can now do it
:
http://www.jinx.com/scripts/details.asp?productID=624
April 10th, 2006 at 12:42 am
Be weary of Greg, Dan. He craves the power you have built. Don’t let him get it. Noo greg’s a good guy. And so is Dan. They should Co-Host it!
April 10th, 2006 at 1:55 am
Just for giggles I found a downloadable version of the original Oregon Trail (the banker/carpenter/farmer one), and wanted to see how I could do. I basically farmed… well, for food. I was a food farmer. I’d hunt for like a month straight, then trade it for other stuff I needed, hunted for a month, and so on until I was pretty much stocked up. About half way across the map a damn thief packed 8 of my oxen and 800 pounds of food in those 3 little boxes he carried away. Bastard. So then I continued on, taking my sweet time, resting a lot whenever my party wasn’t in good condition. Just before I got to the Dalles (is that pronounced “dales”?), I parked again and set up my bear and deer meat stand. After stocking up again I floated down the river and I was home-sweet-home.
As a farmer, my points were trippled: 8,232. Only took me about 2 years. It was totally worth it.
April 10th, 2006 at 4:38 am
t_man700 - “I have some feedback on your PCGamer Building Bible 2006. As a hardcore fan of the original, I have some very interesting thoughts to express.”
Haha I just think its funny that you say that your thoughts are interesting, Im sure you think they are
jokes…
BRING BACK DAN!! w00t!
April 10th, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Let Dan live. Even though he’s been recruited by the suits, he’s still one of us. I would be sad to see him go.
April 10th, 2006 at 5:14 pm
If Dan didnt stay, how else would he learn about full disclosure for when he runs for VP with DJ? I vote he stays.
Great podcast btw, it makes my workday all the more fun.
April 10th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
Shadowmere is gone and she isn’t at the fort where I got her in the first place. Nooo my Oblivion horse of doom is gone. :/
April 10th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
Just fast travel to a city and your horse will arrive in the stables. Then just jump on and ride!
April 10th, 2006 at 7:39 pm
Dan has a good radio voice so keep him.
That and I agree with Greg about Macs. I have used one at school for years and I hate the whole interface
April 10th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
Great work on the show! I’m a big Dan fan, 20+weeks with Morris on board. I know and trust him, the “Vede” is the new guy (relative to the podcast). I vote to keep Morris, unless he turns out to be a corporate sell out.
April 10th, 2006 at 8:38 pm
The thing is I do fast travel and Shadowmere is nowhere to be found.
April 10th, 2006 at 8:39 pm
Oh and, the Mac GUI has always sucked.
April 10th, 2006 at 9:00 pm
keep on voting, guys.
http://www.titanstower.com/assets/whos%20who/allies/jasonad.jpg
it doesn’t look like anyone wants this to happen. (jason todd died by 72 votes)
http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/images/2003/dec17/deathinthefamily.jpg
April 10th, 2006 at 11:13 pm
You guys all have points about the Bethesda making a fe extra bucks. Unfortunately I cant patronize them yet, as I dont have a credit card and me parents wont trust the internet and Bethesda with their credit card number (they’re old fashioned) so until 18…
Anyway good podcast, but bring someone on the show who’ll talk about RTS games too, like Steve Klett, or Brett Todd. By the way, DJ, do you still play AoE3 online? I’d like to have a good 1v1 with you. Or a 2v2 with me and my mate vs. you and Brett.
And btw, I’m glad you are accepting wav* as I dont have an MP3 for some stupid reason
April 10th, 2006 at 11:20 pm
I’ve always owned PC’s, never owned a Mac. After playing around with the interface with computers at work (an electronics retailer), I thought some things were cooler. I have 2 rebuttles against people hating on the Mac GUI (specific to OS:X). People may disagree, but this is my opinion.
1) Expose: You can hit a single button to see all your open windows by dynamically zooming out. You can see your entire workspace, instead of cycling through every open window through Alt+Tab. You can see all the open windows just for a single app if you hit another button, or slide all your windows off to the side to see the desktop. If you’re a multitasker, OS:X is superior. Having 15 tabs on your task bar doesn’t exactly “streamline” the interface.
2) The dynamic dock basically looks pretty. At least they’re updating the look of their OS as technology progresses, instead of sticking with the same look for 12 years. (And making the Start button green and italicized instead of gray doesn’t count!)
If we spent as much time using the OS:X interface as we have with Windows NT/95/98/ME/2000/XP, maybe, just MAYBE we’d get used to it.
That’s all I have to say about that.
April 10th, 2006 at 11:26 pm
Macmiester: Use Audacity for doing mp3 recording. Click on the link “How do I submit an MP3 Question?” on the right side of the PCG Podcast main page. Then select the link “open source stuff” in the description. Download the correct version, and you’re up and running. I thought the interface very intuitive, so you shouldn’t have a problem.
April 11th, 2006 at 2:09 am
I like Dan a lot, since he got the hardness and that stuff, but I still like to hear Greg in the show ‘cos he lightens up the mood of the whole podcast in my honest opinion.
April 11th, 2006 at 2:29 am
Ok help me pls. From some week ago I havent been able to download the podcast, or the videopodcast. All I get is an error opening file when I try to listen directly or a “server was not found” when I press to download. Seeing how it seems like everyone else aren’t having trouble listening to the show I’m kindda freaking out, the ppl that are after me usually just go through my mail and stuff but now they censor podcasts too?
So, is there some kind of update I’ve missed out on, some plugin that needs to be gotten or should I just pour sugar inte the tank of the white van outside?
April 11th, 2006 at 3:15 am
I’m afraid you’re being watched, tuggbuss. Either that or you might live in China, which generally means you’re being watched too. There was a plugin installed here that changed the URLs around a little bit, but the video podcast wasn’t touched. So if you’re having trouble with both, I’d say it’s time to find a better Internet connection. Good luck!
April 11th, 2006 at 3:55 am
Jadin - Word man. I agree 100%
Vede raised some interesting points regarding Dan staying on the show though, I was unaware that Dan had moved to marketing and I can see the potential conflict of interest.
If Dan truly believes that he can remain impartial on the podcast, then I support him 100%, as he is one of the most interesting, articulate and intelligent people to listen to when he talks about PC Gaming. Dan, if you have the slightest doubt about your ability to be honest in your opinion when your commission cheques are at risk, then you have a duty to your loyal fans to bow out of this podcast. But for now, I trust and respect your opinion completely.
SAVE DAN!
April 11th, 2006 at 4:35 am
Sighs and damnation then!
April 11th, 2006 at 4:59 am
Weird thing is I can listen to other podcasts just fine. Tried subscribing with both juice and itunes and whatnot but they get zero. To my knowledge my connection is working fine, no problems outside the pccast sphere. Is there some obvious button you have to click that says I APPROVE or something somesuch? I’m fairly slow so I’m thinking the solution lies in the obvious realm.
April 11th, 2006 at 10:56 am
Few comments, in no particular order…
PODCAST IN GENERAL: Excellent! Really great work everyone. And big props to Jeremy for saving the day when his software crashed.
DAN MORRIS I’m a big fan of Greg, but I really miss Dan being on the show. While I completely understand the possible conflict of interest, I would love for you guys to find some way to keep him on the show.
CONTENT MICROPAYMENT: As I see it, the issue of content micropayment depends on the gaming environment. When it comes to single-player games, I don’t see it as a big deal if Bethesda wants to charge me $2 for a piece of armor. As was pointed out on the podcast, if I want it, great. If not, I can proceed with no harm done.
What I’m concerned about is this issue of content micropayment creeping into the online gaming world. With online gaming, there’s the idea of a developer selling mostly irrelevant-to-gameplay content, and then there’s the idea of selling gameplay-altering content.
For example, if Blizzard wants to charge me $2 for a mostly irrelevant piece of WOW armor, no big deal. But if Blizzard wants to charge $10 for a special WOW weapon that gives the user an advantage over the competition that doesn’t have it, that’s a problem. Once that starts happening, then online gaming will be about who has the most cash to spend on all the add-ons, and the mostly level playing field is out the window.
OS X INTERFACE: I always tend to crack up when I here Greg and others complain that OS X isn’t intuitive or whatever, when it’s clear they haven’t spent any appreciable time using it (and using it here and there in the library isn’t appreciable time, either). You people do realize that OS X users say the same exact thing about Windows, right? I’ll tell you guys what I tell Mac OS users who complain about Win XP: each OS has it’s good and bad features, but unless and until you actually spend some time learning the ins and outs of an OS, you’re just blowing smoke.
I’ve seen both sides of the fence. I started out with Mac OS and couldn’t stand Windows because, you guessed it, it was too unintuitive for me. But after switching over to Windows for gaming and then daily productivity, I learned Windows, became productive with it, and now know it better than I do the Mac OS. In fact, when I jump on an OS X machine, I tend to flounder around trying to figure out how to do things, and that’s to be expected.
I would venture to guess that if any current Windows users could suddenly have their memory wiped and they forgot all they know about the OS, when first presented with WinXP it would seem incredibly unintuitive. Does that means it’s a crappy OS? Not necessarily. It just means you don’t have experience with it and it’ll take some time to learn.
April 11th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Is it just me or is everyone else getting issues with the feed? I noticed that my podcast software hasn’t downloaded the latest episode, so I tried to re-subscribe. The address feed.pcgamerpodcast.com brings up access forbidden, however.
I’m guessing it might be a permissions issue with the recent site upgrade…
April 11th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
iTunes is currently telling me that the URL for the PCG podcast (not the video) appears to be invalid.
April 11th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
Oh, and re: Mac vs Windows. I disagree, Stever - if I had my memory wiped Windows wouldn’t feel incredibly intuitive. A large part of the percieved counter-intuitiveness of Macs by Windows users is that they expect things to be in certain places.
I’ve shifted around my Windows Explorer and IE toolbars to be more efficient with screen space, and when someone comes to look at my PC, they can’t find the Back button because it’s in a different place. It seems counter-intuitive to them, but it works for me.
However, I think anything based on *nix is counter-intuitive to a certain extent. I’m not sure how OS X handles this, but every *nix implementation I’ve used has had certain issues with consistency. This is a common problem in open source software. For example, we’re in the process of switching to CVS from VSS at work, and we’ve noticed inconsistent commands in the CVS command line app. Some commands support the -H switch, others don’t.
The guy from the other team who was demoing CVS to us made a point about how you could type -H to get help. He typed cvs diff -H to demonstrate this, and it went off and started doing comparisons (which is what the cvs diff command does without -H). In short, it completely ignored the switch. Another example is the checkout command - where’s the checkin command?
This does have an effect on intuitiveness. But as I say, I’ve not seen OS X’s GUI, so maybe it’s the most consistent thing in the world and is really intuitive… I dunno.
April 11th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Ok, thanks Stever so it’s not just me.
April 11th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Hey RangerFish2… I believe you may have misread that part of my post. I said, “when first presented with WinXP it would seem incredibly UNintuitive.” I think we’re on the same page, though.
The point I was trying to make was that, all those who think WinXP is so very intuitive probably wouldn’t think so if they suddenly forgot everything they knew about it. And the same goes for OS X users. It’s all about what kind of experience you have with an OS. It takes time to learn and get comfortable. And condemning an OS - any OS - without putting in an effort to really learn it just isn’t fair.
April 11th, 2006 at 2:52 pm
There is an issue with the server, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the recent software upgrade. It’s out of my hands, but has been reported and hopefully will be fixed very soon. Sorry, but hang tight.
In the meantime you can download the show manually using the link on the blog here.
April 11th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
I’ve used Windows 95+ and Mac OS since about the same about 10 years ago. Actually, I got Win95 the year later and DOS/Win3.11 > MacOS 8 or whatever it was.
Shadowmere is still not there. :/
April 11th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
87th post!
Seriously, this thread is huge!
And what’s with the “your comment is awaiting moderation” thing?
April 11th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
I registered today to say Dan Morris must DIE! Now I love Dan (in a purely innocent listener host kind of way) but he is sales. I’m a long time reader of PC Gamer. I was buying it since before the issue with a demo of original Transport Tycoon came on floppy! I mention this because I remember the reviews of Outpost, Acendancy and the whole Scott Wolf debacle. It took many years to trust pc gamer again. While I don’t think anything is wrong with Dan Morris being on the podcast, its a step to the dark side any if any publication should be ultra sensitive about ethics, its pc gamer. I could easily see down the road Dan Morris being honestly excited about a game that isn’t well recieved by the community and its learned that this game happened to be a big client that Dan Morris landed and it would rip open all the old wounds. Even though no one did anything wrong, the internet is set to full alert and then there is blood in the water and all the sharks come out. In any case I think you PCG guys are doing a great job and no mater what, I’m still listening to the podcasts and subscribing to the mag.
Now a few show comments:
1. What the hell was up with the end bit? I totally don’t get what “playing the maracas while singing the peanutbutter & Jelly song” is all about and how it relates to Garfield.
2. Windows on Macs: Is a Mac running Windows XP really a Mac? When does it stop being a Mac and becomes an expensive PC? I know, you can dual boot between the two. In theory people will use OSX for everything and boot Windows XP for games. As someone who dual booted pcs back when os/2 1.2 was out and currently have a pc with linux and windows xp and a power mac g4 on my desk running a newish version of os/x, I find that whatever desktop that I use slightly more, I tend to gravitate to it and eventually I’m using that os almost 100% of the time and then piss and moan when I have to boot up another. Thus that desktop is almost always a microsoft os because of games. So I don’t see what that buys anyone really.
3. Ads on Podcasts. I’m for them. Just hope they are game related.
4. micropayment; I’m all for this actually. I just don’t think the horse armor was a good value even at $1.89. I’m thinking 50 cents.
And thats it, thanks.
April 11th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
I am fed up with the feed issue, and am moving the site to a new host. Any posts beyond and including this one may be lost. You are warned. Server switch should take place in the next couple hours, and then it’s a matter of waiting for the domain name to propagate.
Jeremy
April 11th, 2006 at 10:16 pm
Lolololololol
Horse Armor might’ve bugged my Shadowmere!
April 12th, 2006 at 1:44 am
Re: PC vs MAC…
I use both Mac and PC. From the POV of someone who’s supposedly a slave to Macs for my business (art), I still don’t see the big deal. I work just as much if not more on my PC than on Macs. I trade files back and forth when needed. In fact, being an artist working on Macs stinks when the rest of the building is on PC, because chances are, your department won’t have their own support. Plus, dual booting has never been anything but a pain, and I don’t see why I’d want to pay extra (expensive mac box) just to dual boot when there are other options.
Re: Entertainment Crises through history
You ask why smart people don’t recognize they’re repeating history with their demonizing of video games… They do. It’s just not what matters. What matters is it’s the best way right now to get your name out as a politician, or the easiest guise under which to get profitable regulation as a business. You could compare entertainment demonization with any other form of regulation war on a product or industry.
April 12th, 2006 at 3:33 am
With regards to content micropayment, where do you draw the line?
I mean, to me this only sounds one step away from paying for game updates and patches… Its a slippery slope, and soon developers will feel justified demanding payment for anything that is released to the public. I can see games being released purposely half arsed (Like many are now), then these ‘micropayments’ for one or two ‘updates’ (read: what we should have released in the first place).
I mean, advertising is already being placed in-game, gaming is more popular and mainstream now than it has ever been which means more units of each title are being sold, many games now have subscription fees, how much more money can these guys suck out?
I think it is a damn shame, I am seeing gaming as I once knew it being destroyed by corporate America.
April 12th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
I wounder if it will be games that are already out or will it be UPcoming cames And how do you advertise a game on a podcast you have to see a game to really get what its about I mean I guy Saying “death of Dead” or somthing coming april is really not much exexpt when its got two vampires with fangs and stuff comeing right at you from the screen like promo videos on the Games web site so i dont know how you guys are going to be able to sell advertising for a podcast and if you make it so it achealy makes me want to check it out.
April 12th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
There is one option that you didn’t give to the poll. I like hearing from Dan Morris but I really feel as if there is an ethical question that makes me uneasy. I sugest that Dan Morris should be there but not for the entire thing. Just a section.
April 12th, 2006 at 1:53 pm
Dan should host. I think he can handle the responsibility and ethical questions involved. Greg’s voice is annoying as hell.
April 12th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
Whoa, careful there WARMASTER. The English language isn’t a toy. Regardless, your post gave me an idea. Maybe there could be a link at the top of each podcast page for additional content. That way we can sort of follow along as you guys bring up different topics. You could have screenshots or historical information for the games in the discussion, and links to the articles you’re commenting on. It would really give us the complete scoop.
What do you think Jeremy? Too much work, or would it be worth it?
April 12th, 2006 at 3:57 pm
When it comes to Dan being on the show, is it at all possible to post/read off a legal disclaimer stating his views and opinions on the podcast do not reflect yada yada yada? It seems half-hearted, and it might be a waste, but I’m just throwing out ideas here.
He’s earned my respect by giving his honest opinion before, so that’s not going to change now. Judging by the number of comments here and the results from the poll, I don’t think it’s the fans Dan needs to worry about. I’m curious if he could get into some hot water if he gives negative feedback on a game that is giving PCG advertising dollars, and the publisher hears about it. Seems like it could get nasty on the business side of things.
April 13th, 2006 at 7:06 am
Sweet relief I can listen in again …almost like having real friends.
April 13th, 2006 at 12:46 pm
Hey, stever. I didn’t misread your post, it was a typo on my part. sorry ’bout that
April 13th, 2006 at 6:04 pm
“Micropayment” = No problem.
This stuff is real work done by real people who work long hours. They can’t just “throw out” some content for a huge game because they want to be mean — it takes a lot of work to get it even half way decent. This is still a new area, and what the standard will be five years from now is unknown — just like was pointed out in the last podcast. Almost every game where I’ve seen pay updates/objects (save for mmos) are games in which the creators have graciously allowed the public to modify company shipped work to their heart’s content. That means that they are giving you a choice, and a very wide one at that. If you have the time and skills to create it yourself, they let you. Sometimes they even help by making tools available. If not, they do it for you for a resonable price. How is that different from, say, going to the barber or cutting your own hair?